The Cleveland Cavaliers are nearly back to full strength, a scary thought for the rest of the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland is 10-1 since Jan. 3 entering a matchup against the visiting Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers won the last seven meetings against Detroit. The Pistons are trying to build on their best win of the season after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-104 on Sunday.
Cleveland received a spark Monday from forward Evan Mobley, who returned six weeks after having left knee surgery and finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes in a 118-108 win over the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers.
Point guard Darius Garland participated in shootaround Wednesday and is set for his return to the court against the Pistons. Garland recovered from a fractured jaw that sidelined him since Dec. 15.
Mobley reintroduced himself with a thunderous dunk in the first quarter.
“Didn’t feel too rusty,” Mobley said. “Got into the flow of the game as I kept playing. Just felt better out there, felt more comfortable. That dunk, I feel like it got me going.”
Donovan Mitchell had 28 points and 12 assists for the Cavaliers, who have won 15 of their last 19 games. Jarrett Allen recorded his 15th straight double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Seven different players scored in double figures on Monday as the Cavaliers adjusted seamlessly to Mobley’s return.
“That’s just a testament to our team, a testament to (coach J.B. Bickerstaff) and just everybody in this Cavs organization,” Allen said. “They get guys who are willing to buy in, who are willing to sacrifice for this team and not just think it’s all about them. Showed tonight that we were able to play the same basketball that was winning these games on this stretch when everybody was out. Kudos to everybody.”
Sunday’s win serves as a warning for teams not to look past the Pistons. Detroit experienced victory for only the sixth time in 46 games this season but left the court feeling confident after sinking a Western Conference playoff team.
Jalen Duren had 22 points and a career-high 21 rebounds in the impressive win over the Thunder, while Jaden Ivey added 19 points and Bojan Bogdanovic had 17.
“I just think our guys care,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “I called a timeout and I said, ‘I’m OK with them making shots, but we gotta go compete the way we compete to give ourselves a chance.’ There was every reason to come up with excuses and they would’ve been valid. … We just competed our tails off.”
Duren took another step forward in his development with the first 20-20 game of his career. The second-year forward is averaging 15.4 points and 12.6 rebounds over his last 17 games.
“I feel like the game is slowing down for me, tremendously,” Duren said. “Me studying the game, learning the game and like I always say, just learning how I can be most effective. I would say the game is slowing down for me. I had footwork, but I’ll be lying if I said I haven’t continued to develop it with the coaches and the guys that we’ve been around. They’ve also been a huge help for my game.”
Guard Cade Cunningham, who missed Monday’s game due to left knee injury management and has been out nine of the past 10 games, said he plans to play Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
